GAST

What GAST does

GAST Automaten & Service is a family-owned German vending machine operator and full-service provider headquartered in Bardowick (near Lüneburg), Lower Saxony, that has been in continuous operation since 1978. The company procures, installs, and operates hot-beverage, cold-beverage, snack/food, fully-automatic coffee, and table-water machines for industrial and production companies, administrative offices, and educational institutions within roughly a 100km radius that includes Lüneburg, Uelzen, Landkreis Harburg, and Hamburg. The core technology stack is third-party hardware from suppliers such as Sielaff, Jura, Azkoyen, Franke, Brita, Necta, Crane, Vendo, Bravilor Bonamat, Animo, and Lavazza; in 2025 GAST layered Televend telemetry on top of its installed base to enable remote monitoring, route optimization, and downtime reduction.

The business model combines recurring full-service vending contracts with consumables and trade-goods resale. Customers can purchase, rent, or lease equipment, and GAST provides on-site consultation, machine filling, hygienic cleaning, and technical maintenance through a team of five qualified technicians, plus an in-house logistics fleet for delivery of coffee, snacks, cups, and hygiene products (free above €100 net order value). Adjacent revenue lines include the mobile coffee bar "Café conGasto" for corporate events, the "Glücklichmacher-Box" regional gift service, and consultation/planning engagements. GAST holds the BDV Gütesiegel quality seal (aligned with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015) and received the BDV "Oscar des Jahres 2003" for industry service.

In 2025 the company completed a generational ownership transition when co-founders Udo Gast and Peter Weseloh transferred their shares to managing director Tanja Grimberg, who has led the firm since 2015 alongside her father Hans-Peter Weseloh. The company employs a team of roughly 14–30 staff across management, sales, technical service, warehouse, and administration, and operates from a purpose-built, sustainable facility in the Wittorfer Heide industrial area that was completed in November 2022 after four years of construction.

Name

GAST

Legal name

Gast Automaten & Service GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://gast-automaten.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GAST Automaten & Service is a family-owned German vending machine operator and full-service provider, supplying and maintaining hot-beverage, cold-beverage, snack, coffee, and water machines for industrial, office, and educational customers across the Lüneburg-Hamburg region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lüneburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vending Machine Rental/Leasing: Provision of hot beverage, cold beverage, snack, and food vending machines with flexible acquisition options (purchase, rental, or leasing). Machines are installed at customer premises.
2. Full-Service Maintenance: Includes machine filling according to customer needs, hygienic cleaning, and technical service. Professional technician support ensures continuous operation.
3. Fill Products and Trading Goods: Sale and delivery of coffee beans, soluble coffee, tea, cocoa, milk, sugar, cups, glasses, beverages, conference pastries, snacks, confectionery, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products. Free delivery above €100 net order value.
4. Consulting and Planning Services: On-site consultation for customized vending concepts. Advisory services for selecting appropriate machines and product range.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GAST Automaten & Service places, operates, and services vending machines and fully automatic coffee machines on customer premises in the Lüneburg/Hamburg/Uelzen region. The core offer bundles equipment (hot/cold beverage, snack, food, coffee, and table water systems) with a full Rundum-sorglos-service covering consultation, installation, routine filling, cleaning, and technical maintenance for corporate, industrial, and institutional workplaces.

Product overview

GAST Automaten & Service is a vending machine operator and full-service provider for workplace catering, offering a portfolio of physical vending machines and associated services. The core product lineup spans five machine categories: Heißgetränkeautomaten (hot beverage vending machines, e.g., Sielaff SiVend HG20, Azkoyen Zensia, Klix/Lavazza Momentum), Kaltgetränkeautomaten (cold beverage vending machines, e.g., Sielaff Robimat X-Series, Vendo G-Drink DM9), Verpflegungsautomaten (snack/food vending machines, e.g., SiLine, Vendo G-Snack, Crane Merchant), Kaffeevollautomaten (fully automatic coffee makers, e.g., Jura Giga X8, Jura X10, Animo OptiBean X, Franke A300), and Tafelwasseranlagen (table water systems, e.g., Culligan C8/C9, Brita Top Pro). These are complemented by add-on products and services including Individuelle Füllprodukte & Handelswaren (custom fill products and trade goods), a Rundum-sorglos-service (full-service management covering consultation, filling, cleaning, and maintenance), Beratung und Planung (consultation and planning), Technischer Support (technical support with 5 qualified technicians), and a delivery/service area covering over 100km around Lüneburg. GAST also offers event-related services: Café conGasto (a mobile coffee bar on a Piaggio Ape three-wheeler for corporate events) and the Glücklichmacher-Box (a regional gift box for employee/client appreciation). The company holds the BDV quality seal and provides purchase, rental, or leasing options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Beverage Vending Machines (Heißgetränkeautomaten)

Quantifiable outcome

• Round-the-clock availability of refreshments for employees
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SielaffcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading vending machine manufacturer; key supplier of hot beverage, cold beverage, and snack vending machines including SiVend HG20, SiLine, and Robimat series.
• JuracoreTechnology or IntegrationPremium coffee machine manufacturer; supplier of professional coffee equipment including Giga X8, X10, and W8 models.
• TelevendcoreTechnology or IntegrationTelemetry technology provider; introduced in 2025 for real-time remote monitoring, tour optimization, and digital vending management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Compass Group (Eurest): Global foodservice and support services major with vending and workplace refreshment operations. Touches the same B2B vending market as GAST but as part of a much broader contract catering portfolio.
• Selecta Group: Pan-European vending and coffee services operator with full-service route-based operations across multiple countries. Operates a much larger, multi-country network but competes for the same B2B workplace refreshment customers that GAST serves in northern Germany.
• Sodexo (Pluxee / Workplace): Global facilities and food services group offering workplace refreshment and vending solutions as part of integrated facility management contracts. Competes for the same enterprise B2B accounts.

Others

• Sielaff: German vending machine manufacturer and core equipment supplier to GAST (SiVend, SiLine, Robimat). Indirectly comparable as a vendor that could vertically integrate into vending operations.
• Jura Elektroapparate (Professional): Premium Swiss coffee machine manufacturer and a current supplier to GAST. Increasingly offers direct professional services and IoT-enabled machines, representing both a partner and an emerging competitive channel.

Direct peers

• Pelican Rouge (Mara Group): European coffee and vending services provider operating full-service vending, coffee, and refreshment solutions to workplaces. Directly comparable offering to GAST's combined hot-beverage/snack/water vending portfolio.
• Dallmayr Automaten-Service: German vending machine operator under the Dallmayr brand, providing coffee and snack vending solutions to offices and industrial customers. Closest direct German peer with similar full-service vending model.

Emerging players

• Lavazza Professional (Klix): Italian coffee group with its own workplace vending and Klix in-office machine program. Partner brand for GAST but increasingly building direct-to-end-user vending propositions across Europe.
• Schaerer (Coffee Competence Group): Swiss professional coffee machine manufacturer serving offices, hotels, and foodservice; overlaps with GAST's Kaffeevollautomaten category and represents part of a competitive professional coffee equipment ecosystem.

Regional players

• Kanne Café & Service: German coffee and vending services provider operating regional fulfillment routes. Similar route-based vending services focused on the German market, but typically Westphalia-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gastautomatenservicegmbh73
• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/congasto
• Instagraminstagram.com/gast.automaten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gast-automaten-service

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GAST